The Reaping (2007)

The Worst Film Ever

One of the best films i have seen

disgusting, overrated, pointless

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

"The Reaping" is a thriller for people who haven't seen many thrilling movies, meaning it exists merely to spook the easily-scared while utilizing one genre cliché after another (a priest receiving a dire warning, a storm blowing open a door, a child drawing a picture of a mysterious girl, the non-believer whose skepticism is finally shaken and, the biggest eye-roller of them all, the bachelor teacher and the single female professor finding common ground). The professor is played by Hilary Swank, whose fearlessness appears to stem from the fact she's now a spiritual non-believer after losing a child--she's not religious, therefore she goes where angels fear to tread. Her work at a university apparently takes a backseat to many globe-trotting adventures wherein she and her colleague investigate so-called miracles which are soon debunked with scientific fact. Despite two Oscar wins to her credit, nothing about Swank's performance here seems authentic. Whether addressing a lecture hall, interacting with the other characters or whirling around in surprise at a sudden noise (and this movie is very noisy), everything Swank does is canned, telegraphed for a response. There is absolutely no mystery about Swank's Katherine Winter: she is stubborn for effect, she is winsome for effect, she draws out her words for effect, she rattles off statistics to her colleague on a farm full of dying cows for effect. It's bad enough that the movie is supernatural-tinged swill, one using bloody river water and toads falling from the sky to frighten us to the marrow, but it doesn't even have the courage of its convictions. Colleague Ben (Idris Elba) ribs his boss for her lack of faith only to show us that there can be a professional balance between one who believes in God and one who doesn't--and when he kisses the crucifix around his neck upon entering a chapel, that signals us his fate will soon be in jeopardy. Writers Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes, working from Brian Rousso's original story, don't want the audience to miss a trick, laying everything out in maddeningly literal terms. This is End of The World 101...or rather, Plagues for Dummies. *1/2 from ****

Just found this movie on one old DVD. Well, I have to say I'm shocked, this is a pretty good little thriller.Katherine (Hillary Swank) is an ex-missionary turned scientist and debunker, and she's called to investigate a small town in the deep South where the river has turned red or as some suspect to blood. This is followed in close order by other Biblical plagues. They all seem to to be tied to a young girl living in the woods.Its' "plot driving event" seen at the beginning of the movie is kinda cliché, when the priest is watching Katherine's picture, eyes on it are starting to burn. Similar thing is seen for example in "The Omen", a lot of years ago. Score is totally haunting and is sung by choir, it adds a lot to the movie's creepy atmosphere, so does cinematography with minimal light or with daylight. It is also brilliant framed and the camera work is very enjoyable. Editing is done well, especially when it shows 2 parallel actions. Acting is done nice, especially Swank's part. CGI is also done very well.

The shock ending is telegraphed in the first ten minutes of the movie. As a matter of fact every point of the plot is telegraphed to you through out the entirety of this "film". The PG-13 rating doesn't help, it automatically limits its audience to people who cant get into an R rated movie. A PG-13 rating also limits the plot to some watered down toothless drivel so as to comply with the Ratings Board. I don't know, I guess if you want to have a church youth group lock-in in the church's basement, like you could show this movie and no one would be too frightened or offended, is that a compliment or an insult? I don't know, maybe your'e on some weird airplane that shows movies from the early 2000's and your choices are The Reaping or For The Love Of The Game, I guess you could do worse than this movie.

I love Hillary Swank......we all do. This film, regardless of the medium level content was pure and simply: a showcase for Hillary Swanks body....not her acting as the action over shadowed any real acting. It's an action film, an in-credible, boring film all only about Hillary's skin tight clothes. I enjoyed that but it got old after a short time. She must have better scripts!!!!! The script is absurd and the acting all around is mediocre. Every scene is designed around Hillary Swank's body. She acts in a minimal way as the absurd action does not really allow for even one good monologue or real acting. I didn't understand why "Hollywood" can't find better films for A TWO TIME Oscar WINNER.